President, Police Chief Issue Follow-Up to Tuesday's All-Student Meeting

Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour and Penn College Police Chief Chris Miller offer this follow-up to Tuesday's All-Student Meeting on community safety:

We are encouraged by the excellent response from students, parents, landlords and the public following the All-Student Meeting and other safety-related communications issued by the administration at the start of the semester.

Recent crimes have forced us to direct attention to the manner in which some students conduct themselves outside of class. Individuals apprehended in connection with some of the recent off-campus student-apartment burglaries told police they knew the students who lived there. Students must understand that their actions and interactions can put them at risk.

We do not mean to suggest that all students are contributing to crime in the city. Most students live within the law, follow college policies and procedures, and do their best to contribute in a positive way to the campus and community. We recommend that all students follow the lead of the majority who live their lives in this way.

During Tuesday's meeting, the chief reported that several individuals had been apprehended in connection with some of the apartment burglaries that occurred during the holiday break. The names of those who have been charged are William Adams, 34, of Campbell Street, and Maurice Gainey, 26, of Timberland Apartments.

Get to know the people you interact with before you invite them into your home. Do not put yourself in risky situations. Talk with your landlords about other people in the building and in the neighborhood. Share information about suspicious individuals and learn who you can trust.

Be informed! Read PCToday and follow local news to stay in touch with what is happening. Sign up to receive PCT alerts through the college's emergency response text-message system, which can be activated if there is an extreme emergency on campus. Go online to learn more about Penn College Police and the emergency response system .

Instructions to "lock your doors and windows" may seem obvious. But, those responsible for campus and community safety report many circumstances in which apartments are left wide open. Remember to lock your doors and windows and to leave lights on when you are out after dark.

A few students have suggested that carrying a weapon on campus would make them feel more secure. College policy prohibits weapons on campus. Anyone violating this policy would be sanctioned. Penn College police are armed and on patrol on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It is important that you consider your personal safety and community safety as you go about your regular business of being a college student. But, please keep things in perspective. You are far more likely to be the victim of a vehicle accident or other accidental mishap than you are to be a victim of crime. Be smart ... but do not allow fear to stop you from pursuing your best life.

Thank you for being part of the solution!